Coach.

Yesterday, on a long drive across town, I was stuck listening to Howard Stern interview Anderson Cooper (clearly, I wasn’t driving) and before I could even roll my eyes the interview began to just fascinate me.

Listening to Howard question Anderson about money, how much he made, his future inheritance (or lack of it) and growing up as Gloria Vanderbilt’s son was one of those awesome interviews where you get a rare glimpse into a celebrity’s money mindset and the beliefs they hold around money.

Gloria Vanderbilt always told Anderson that he wasn’t getting a dime when she died, and how at the age of 10 he went out and got his first job as a model in New York for Ralph Lauren making $75 an hour and saved it all because he was worried about a financial collapse and felt that the world was coming to an end.  So out of fear, this young boy was driven to make money, even though he was very well taken care of.

Fascinating stuff!

Money Mindsets are just so interesting to me, because people’s view of money and beliefs around money are created from the stories we tell ourselves.

In this interview, I could really hear Anderson Cooper’s fear around money as a teenager, and how it drove him to make his own.  He said he would not be where he is today, as a driven journalist, if he was given piles of money to live a cushy life.  She paid for his college, then he was on his own. He believes that because he was told that all his life.  Gloria Vanderbilt made her own fortune, and works hard still to this day and she is 91 now! Clearly, Anderson has done the same.

I could hear how Howard Stern (who himself is one of the most successful people in the entertainment industry, and a reported net worth over $550 Million), was fascinated by how Anderson Cooper got nothing after college and that there was no Vanderbilt fortune waiting for him when his mother dies. You could just tell that Howard would most likely be leaving his family money when he goes just by how he was so shocked by it.

Anderson mentioned more than once or twice during the interview that the worry line on his forehead was there since he was young from chronic worrying.  Proof that having lots of money doesn’t stop you from worrying.  In fact, you probably worry on a greater scale.  Money has that tendency to magnify characteristics like that.

The stories in our head and the thoughts we tell ourselves shape how we see the world and how the world occurs to us.

The fear ‘story’ we tell ourselves is a huge motivator of course, and here’s the million dollar question: do you really want to live your life in fear and worry, like the 10-year-old Anderson?  HECK NO!

BOTTOM LINE:  If you want something different for your life, change the narrative in your head.  Take the story out and replace it with the thoughts that will lead you to what you are trying to create. Worrying doesn’t add one second to your life, and if you are a chronic worrier or live from a place of fear, don’t think that when you finally have enough money that will change!

Love and Money….. now there’s a can of worms I didn’t feel like opening today (or any other), after all, I am the biggest romantic suck out there. So, writing, talking and thinking about relationships and money is a drag for me, especially on Valentine’s Day.

I choose to live in the bubble of true love with my head in the clouds, and then BOOM, a money conversation somehow just kills the romance most of the time  – ya know what I mean?

Unless you have Thomas Crown as your money honey, for the rest of us not stuck in a movie, some real decisions have to be made about money every day with our beloved.

It’s funny how when you are single money decisions with yourself are made like this:

“Hi Lisa, you look smashing today!”

“Why thank you, Lisa, as always, we are rockin’ it! Why don’t we buy ourselves a pair of shoes today!”

“You mean our 197th pair? (slight split second of guilt)   …. Just kidding! You are soooo smart! It’s a brilliant idea! Let’s go to the mall!”

“Fabulous!”

And there it is… the internal financial dialogue of a single person!

Financial decisions made easy!

But as we know, the heart wants what the heart wants and most of us find ourselves HOOKED to someone.

The years pass by in our relationship and let’s continue that same scenario and make a money decision with your beloved, which years later may look something like this:

“Hey Bob, I’m going to run a few errands.” Woman says.

“Okay.” Man says sitting on couch watching sports.

“Bye.” Woman says and walks off and heads to mall to buy 197th pair of shoes, to which she will hide in the laundry room which her beloved rarely frequents, and pay half of the shoes with cash, and the other half with the VISA , so that if beloved actually does look at the visa statement this month, the amount spent at favorite shoe store won’t be so startling, plus it somehow ‘feels’ less expensive that way.

Whatever!  Like you’ve never done this before!

Okay – so I joke, but not really! Much of the time we totally hide from money conversations because we don’t want confrontation.

Let’s just all agree that being in a relationship, making financial decisions and dealing with money – the good, the bad and the ugly (even if you keep everything separate) is much harder than when you are single, foot-loose and fancy free.

Did you know that in your relationship your money anchors were set back on your first few dates?!

If he always paid when you were first dating, chances are, years later, he still whips out his credit card at the restaurant when you are on a date.  If you both always split everything, years later, chances are you still split everything.

That is “Relationship Money Anchoring”  – a term that I just totally made up, but you know it’s true.  As peoples we like norm, habits, and always choose the path of least resistance.  This I have observed in my own life, and it rings so true.

Why change the status quo?  If two people can make it work, then I say great.  Whatever norms you and your beloved have around money it’s because of what causes the least resistance for both of you in your life.  So if it ain’t broke don’t go fixing it.

Unless, of course, it needs fixing.  Then you have to work on it!

The beautiful thing about relationships is that there is no right or wrong way to have them, and no right or wrong way to make agreements with your partner.  You can be as totally conventional or unconventional as you want to be, as long as you BOTH agree on it.

I think that’s the good news here – you can create whatever you want with your partner! The bad news is that you still have to agree on the same things most of the time, and that is easier said than done.

Where the problems lie with so many couples is in the ‘how we are SUPPOSED to be’ versus just marching to the beat of our own drum as a couple.  We are too worried about what our parents, fam, friends, society, church, neighbours think of us or how we have to present ourselves to the world.

I call this the “SOUPOZEDTO DISEASE”.  I think the word ‘supposed’ should be banished!  And yet it comes out in nasty forms, typically in the heat of the moment, “You were SOUPOZEDTO do the laundry yesterday!” SEE! No good comes from this disease!

Plus, we all too often feel like we are SOUPOZEDTO do this and SOUPOZEDTO do that. It’s a word that bears no fruit. End of story.

BOTTOM LINE: Making financial decisions are hard for all couples and the best way to work around it is an honest heart to heart while trying to minimize the SOUPOZEDTO’s so you can let LOVE triumph!

What owns you?  Do you know that everything that you purchase ends up owning you?  The obvious example is debt, in its various forms however, I’m talking everything you spend money on.

Think of the apple you just bought.  You have to pay for it, take it home, wash it, refrigerate it, cut it up, maybe bake it (if you want apple pie), eat it, clean the knife and cutting board, throw away the core (unless you are like my grandpa and eat it! EW! OK – who am I kidding, I’ve eaten a live goldfish!) and then take the garbage out to the garage and then remember to take garbage out on garbage day.  All that for one little apple!

OK, so maybe I’m a little dramatic, however, I want to illustrate how everything we buy ends up owning our time and money.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing.  We need to survive – obviously and we purchase for emotional reasons always.  Plus, the enjoyment factor is huge and super important part of life.  You have to love taking care or, fixing, repairing, servicing, maintaining, cleaning, washing whatever it is you purchase, from big purchases (like your home) to little purchases (like your groceries).

The problem lies when we start to purchase a bunch of crap we don’t need. I’m sure you’ve never purchased anything that you don’t need and if I walked around your house I wouldn’t find anything still with the tag left on it that you purchased a while ago? Ya, I thought so.

There is only one solution to this problem. Ask yourself this on all future purchases: Is it in alignment with your goals and the future you want to create?

If you want to travel the world, maybe owning one vacation property doesn’t make sense and will keep you tied down.  Or maybe your goal is to spend more time with family and friends, then to take a girlfriend out to dinner is better use of your money than buying your 276^th pair of shoes.

If you want to save a million dollars by age 50, does buying your 35th purse really bring you closer to your goals?

If something is a drain on your time or resources, maybe it’s time to rethink.  If your paid-off car is costing you many hours back and forth to the repair shop, maybe it’s time for a new car.

More isn’t always better, sometimes it’s just more to deal with that owns your space, your time, your money.  Goods we purchase always have 2 costs: time and money, and typically it’s the time part of the cost we don’t value properly. Even the free stuff costs our time at the very least.

Here’s something totally crazy that I have learned lately!  The more laser clear you are with your goals (spiritual, health, relationships, family, work, etc.) the more your purchases are in alignment with what serves you and not what takes away from you.  You also don’t waste money on the stuff you will never eat, wear, or use.

Time to do some internal spring cleaning.  Do the hard work! Self-reflect, set your goals, be crystal clear about them (and yes, goal setting and knowing what you truly want out of life is hard work – no sugar coating it!  Most people on this earth don’t really know what they want from life – don’t be one of those people! Life will give you what you ask from it!), and I promise when you have clarity around what you want from life, you won’t be spending any money on things you don’t need, which begins that downward spiral of sucking your time and money (basement full of kids toys comes to mind!) Also, you will notice the areas in which you buy “mindlessly”, those may be the areas in your life you truly don’t have defined goals, or those areas are your problem areas that really need to be addressed in your self-reflection.

For example, my area of struggle or mindless shopping occurs at the grocery store. I have defined goals to lose weight, however I’m a fabulous self-sabotager in this area! I will still sometimes buy chips, chocolate bars and boat loads of fancy cheeses that totally do not serve me or my goals to lose weight. Almost everything at a mall I can walk by and not think twice about, but somehow a display of fancy cheese and I’m totally derailed.

That’s something I’m working on.  We are all working on some area in our lives. Don’t think anyone has it all together. Once we do have it all together, then new challenges arise.  The joy of life!

BOTTOM LINE: Do the hard work of goal setting, because when your goals are set, then alignment will follow easily and your life will flow much easier in all areas and your bank account will be happier, and money will flow to where it serves you, not where you are a slave to it.

The free man is the man who realizes he owns nothing and is steward over everything that crosses his path.

THE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS LIFE!

This time of year I am only thinking about one thing…. setting goals and planning out for the next year! I do this crazy religious ritual every year. I am a pro at goal setting – ask my numerous half filled out journals in my basement and my 8ft white board! (Clearly, anyone with an 8ft white board has to be a pro at goal setting!)

It got me thinking that there’s one part of goal setting that I’m totally forgetting about – a huge important part! Yes! So important that the Ghost of Christmas Past woke me up at 4am today (no joke!) and I needed to share this important piece of goal setting and planning with you!

What possibly could a pro-goal setter like me forget?

Something only that the Ghost of Christmas Past could offer me……take time to reflect on my past year, my past goals!

This is huge for me!!! I’m always forward, forward, future, future, next, next, with very little regard for the past (ok – maybe more so in my business life!)

So I want to share with you for 2 reasons:

• to encourage you to reflect on how far you’ve come this year
• to encourage you to set goals for 2016 so you can watch your dreams unfold in your own life!

My 3 Ghosts Stories!

The Ghost of Christmas Past

(or The Ghost of January 1, 2015)

I wrote this on my white board:

• Complete 2 exams of my FCSI designation
• Complete FCSI by August 2015
• Complete Book by May 2015
• Launch Book on November 28, 2015 (my birthday – thought it would be a nice gift!)
• Fly on a Private Jet
• Run a Half Marathon – Feb 2015
• Lose 20lbs (OK – I’m being totally vulnerable here!!!)

So that’s how I envisioned my year to be. I threw in the private jet for fun. Truth be told, I really didn’t think that would ever come true – it was more a test for the Ghost of Christmas Future and to try out my manifesting powers.

Enter: The Ghost of Christmas Present

(or The Ghost of December 22, 2015 at 4:16am)

As I sit here with my warm cup of coffee and feet up by the fireplace, I’m going to spend 5 minutes and give myself the credit I deserve (PS. I never do this and it’s time for some self-love!!)

How 2015 Actually Went:

• I did complete 2 exams and passed them both!! One in March and one in July!
• I did complete my FCSI and was granted Canada’s Highest Honour in Financial Services on August 23, 2015!!
• BONUS: I also completed my CCS designation (Certified CashFlow Specialist) as of December 17, 2015!
  (I now have 19 letters behind my name!!! BMgmt, CFP, FCSI, CPCA, CCS!!!)
• I have just completed my MANUSCRIPT!! 6 months later, however I’m handing it to publishers very soon – so no book launch in 2015 (that’s going to be a 2016 party you will be invited to!) (on a side note – I did get sidetracked by 30,000 other projects on the go – so I’m forgiving myself that the book isn’t under the Christmas Tree this year! Forgiveness is part of this process – somethings don’t go as planned and somethings go better than planned!)
• OMG!!!! I did fly on a PRIVATE JET on June 9, 2015! In a rare moment of ballsiness I asked a VP of a Fortune 500 company for a lift home! It was a Dassault Falcon 2000 (aka – Cadillac of Private Jets – Gold Toilet Stuff!!) This was on my white board and my vision board! So having this dream become reality was beyond amazing for me and also for me believing that anything really is possible! (The posted picture of my sister and I on the jet – a reminder that dreams come true BABY!)
• I ran the BMO Harris Phoenix Half Marathon on Feb 28, 2015 – I wish I trained more, but I did it, and totally want to do it again – it took me 2:45 of running (yikes!) and as any runner knows – a crap load of determination!
• OK – and I didn’t lose 20 lbs at all – probably gained a little weight!! But that’s okay – I’ve been working out 5 times a week between 30-45 minutes every day and I feel fantastic and full of energy – so I’m happy.

A few other fun tidbits:

• I took Marie Forleo’s B-School which opened a million doors for me in January 2015 and I officially started my own WordPress site from scratch in March 2015. I have gotten MANY compliments on my website from industry peers and from clients – and it’s all because I infused my personality into my website to make it fun just like me! Ellementsgroup.com is totally me, my expression, and my message of how I want to shape the world with showing others how to fund their dreams and gain clarity around their life and money. Would love to mention that going from a place where I didn’t even know how to set up a website, to a place where I designed every last page, post, image, meme, quiz, opt-in offer, online store, online calendars – everything – was totally satisfying. I’m so proud of how far I’ve come in the online world this year and what a HUGE learning curve that was (on top of all that other financial education!)
• Another highlight for me was launching my business, Ellements Group, on June 23, 2015 from NEW YORK CITY!! Strolling Central Park and walking the streets of NEW YORK totally inspired me!
• I’m technically on amazon as an author – I published my short e-book for fun, and if you search Lisa Elle, I appear – pretty cool I think!
• I hired an amazing person to help grow my business – she keeps me on top of everything and is my best investment to date! (Hi Pam! 🙂 )
• Watching my girls both learn to read this year, become little piano players, play soccer, and grow up into little ladies was by far the greatest highlight of my year!
• I was blessed to travel lots too: New York, San Francisco, Kelowna, Vancouver, Phoenix, Idaho, Edmonton (yes, I consider that a get-a-way!) and even an amazing day trip out to Southern Alberta!
• Chris Botti concert at the amazing Mission Hill Winery in the outdoor amphitheater! (If you’ve never been – Google it!  It’s a world class venue in Kelowna, BC!)

Ok – so there’s my 5 minutes of self-love and reflection. I did way more this year than I give myself credit for. Truth be told there are times I feel I’m making no progress. There are times (and to be honest – at least once a day – others might say “many” times a day 😉 ) where I feel like a total failure, so I think today this was an important exercise for me to do and spend sometime giving myself credit for all the hard work I do. I hope you give yourself some self-love too! (I aslo learned what a “selfie-high-five” was this year! So I do tend to give those to myself often! OK – I’m a total geek! Don’t worry – aware!)

Enter: The Ghost of Christmas Future

What’s on your goals list for 2016?

So far, I have a few seminars planned, a big speaking engagement in October, trade shows booked, and a HUGE BOOK LAUNCH along with my first online financial course & launch of “Simple Planning: Life. Money. with Clarity.”

One of my dreams next year is to go to Germany. So, I’m hoping I can make that happen. I haven’t been back since I was 18 and craving to sit by the lake at my favorite cafe and work on my next book! (Oh yeah…. that’s right – I have at least 30 more books in me to write 😉 )

Wishing you Christmas BLISS with your loved ones and Financial BLISS in 2016!

xoxo

5 Ways to Find Financial Strength

It’s not your net worth or how much money you have that determines your financial strength.

I’m guessing that statement runs contrary to what our society believes, but as a trained financial professional, my point of view is different.

As Brené Brown suggests in her book, Daring Greatly, our strength comes from vulnerability and believing that to be true.

I believe our financial strength also comes from a place of vulnerability.

Financial vulnerability translates to a balancing act between what we ‘know’ and what we are able to admit that we ‘don’t know’ in regards to our financial situations.

It’s about finding that humble place in the middle – where perfectionism drowns alongside egos and shame dissipates. It’s that sweet spot; where you can dance with and happily balance the ‘living’ with the ‘planning’.

Clearly, this applies to more than just the financial areas of our lives.

I’ve spent years in deep thought, applying years of education, floundering, seeking, failing, succeeding, figuring out my purpose, trying to find my place, figuring my whole life out…

…only to feel as though it’s all been a useless waste of time; like I’m back at square one again.

Through it all, this has been my quest: finding financial strength within.

It has been years in the making. As a self-proclaimed recovering perfectionist, I’ve struggled, like most people I know, to find my strength as a woman – and this includes my financial strength.

I am not giving you wisdom from the top of a mountain, because there is no top to anyone’s financial mountain; it’s more like a set of hills you travel up and down, often.

I am however, a pro hill climber, and here are the 5 ways I’ve achieved success along the way as I continuing to find and build my financial strength:

1. Hold on with Open Hands

I think the big secret in life is to hold on with open hands; never hold anything tightly. This goes for people, investments, jobs, relationships; anything we want to control.

Live in a place where life’s riches and blessings of all types are free to come and go. If you can’t leave this earth with it, then it’s probably not yours anyway. Remember, it’s hard to place a gift in a closed fist.

2. Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan – Then Let It Go

Take action.

Don’t wait for someone else to tell you to do something. Live in the ebb and flow of life – make your financial plans, work hard, yet be at peace with things not going your way.

Be paradoxical in mind – knowing you should make plans and set goals and work hard…

Remain focused and committed in the moment, but know that none of it means anything at the end of the day. Be able to admit you’re right sometimes, that you’re wrong a lot, that you’ve succeeded and failed – and then move along.

3. Keep an Abundant Mindset

100% of our financial success has to do with our mindset.

What we manifest financially comes from our mindset. Keep your financial mindset strong and positive.

Abundance wants to flow to you.

• Keep reading positive books, blogs and quotes.
• Keep writing down your goals – pen to paper (or in my case whiteboard!)
• Surround yourself with the people you want to be like.

In my practice, I learn everything about my clients. I not only know intimate details of their financial lives, I also become privy to details surrounding their health and well-being.

Knowing so much about my clients, I see first-hand the deep connection between health and finances.

4. Love Your Money

Take interest in, and care for, your money. Appreciate it. I’m not saying be greedy or make it your god. I’m saying to be a good steward of the things that you’ve been blessed with. Apathy breeds nothing. Who wants to be around people who aren’t interested in you?

Money’s no different. Treat your money well – seriously. Be thankful and grateful for every cent. Track it. You will manifest more of it. Care for your money, and it will care for you back!

5. Clear Your Money Blocks

I know first-hand when I’m having a money block – it affects my mood, my attitude, my health, and most unfortunately, my smile.

I also know when I’m not feeling well physically, that other areas of my life aren’t doing so hot either, and the downward spiral begins.

There will always be money road-blocks as you journey through life. The quicker you handle them ultimately decides how quickly you will be able to get the desired outcome. Because when money issues arise (and they will) they can wreak havoc on your life including mild depression, weight gain, fatigue, etc.

Acknowledge your money block, own it, declare it, clear it, free it, and let it go. If you give it no power then it has none over your life.

So today, fellow hill climbers, I hope you receive the blessing of my words as you continue building your financial strength within.

I was privileged to teach a grade 12 class all about MONEY this week! I had a blast!

I think I talked for 70 minutes straight without air (and could have gone on for hours), and although many blank stares at times, the class was engaged and the teacher even said that it was the most she’s seen her students engage – awesome! It probably helped that I was all jacked up on Starbucks.

‘What I wish I knew in high school about money’ was not taught when I went to high school in Alberta.  Probably not for you either.

I told these kids the truth – that if there is ONE class on ONE day in all of high school – THIS was the class they can’t miss (or sleep through)!

It’s our fault, as society, that we make things like trigonometry and molecular formulas FEEL more important than what’s really gonna happen when we move out of our parent’s basement and get thrown to the wolves.

Real life is actually harder than Call of Duty! 

But we know this – we are the parents now, the older people in society (I can’t believe how old I felt talking to 17 year olds – sigh……)

When I was talking about credit ratings and how to file taxes I had one student that said to me, “I don’t want to do that!”  Sorry kid, you have no choice and you have to play by the rules we, as society, have created for ourselves.  That’s LIFE!  These kids haven’t had the school of hard knocks yet! And honestly, why should they?  Teaching financial education would mitigate the unnecessary school of hard knocks for most kids.  I mean really teaching it.  Making it important.

Here’s the thing: even though my presentation was created for 17-year-olds about to enter the “REAL” world, I realized, most of my clients, most of my friends and most adult people in general don’t know most of what I talked about.  I couldn’t get most of my girlfriends to explain how the stock market worked – even after a bottle of wine….

Unless you had amazing parents to teach you this stuff or a brilliant mentor like Warren Buffet, then no one taught you about money in a real and meaningful way.  Sure your parents interjected here and there tid-bits of advice (bad or good), and miraculously poured their money “issues” and “beliefs” into your brain, which if you were lucky left you financially unscathed.  For most of us, let’s just say the apple doesn’t fall to far from the tree – chances are you are the same with your money as your parents are – good, bad or ugly.

I talk to people from all walks of life on a daily basis and most people don’t know this stuff and get swept into bank marketing campaigns and take them for the truth, the holy grail – because banks are smart, they know what to do with our money and will never harm us financially. Right……..

I told these kids that they are so lucky because they have the google gods at their fingertips and can at least look up information – I mean honestly, If I had google back in high school I’d probably be a neurosurgeon by now.

Here’s where I had a huge AHA moment this week! I think I assume most people know as much as I do. (This probably comes from feelings of unworthiness and not giving myself enough credit – I know most women struggle with this at some point in their lives – and I’m sure we can psychoanalyze that to death another day!)

I will no longer assume on my part. I will ask questions.  I will share what I have learned. I can’t help clients reach their ultimate financial goals with out the education in place behind what they are doing in order to understand the plan and stick with it.  I will never succeed as a financial professional if the basic financial knowledge is not there because why would we follow advice we don’t understand.

This is my passion and today, my post is more of a PROMISE – that I will do my best to get basic financial education in the hands of students and adults alike.

My message is creating financial clarity. Financial clarity can come once you have solid financial education.

Hi, my name is Lisa and I’m a control freak.

“Hi Lisa!”

And I do know we all enter control freak camp from time to time, some of us like camp so much we have every second of every day at control freak camp planned right down to the second.

I’ve been known to carry the Clip-Board-O’Fun around from time-to-time with everything planned down to the minute.

JK – I’m not that crazy.

Nearest 5 minutes.

All these “control issues” are really just from a place of fear and worry (or perhaps you are not a control freak and just plain scared and worried all the time – this post is for you as well), and not only are they doing emotional and financial damage to your life they are also robbing you of today’s possibilities, happiness and the enjoyment of being in the moment.

I think this is what happens. We get all concerned about ‘stuff’ that is out of our control, and we become notorious to try to make sense out of our crazy world.

GUESS WHAT! The world will NEVER REALLY MAKE SENSE!

So what do you do when the political party you didn’t vote for gets into power? Or the market drops 10% in one day? Or someone completely freaks out at you for no good reason? Or you think the world is coming to an end and your Shmita is over?

These have been my biggest struggles: WORRY! FEAR! FREAKIN’ CONTROL ISSUES! (Do I hear an AMEN?!)

I remember fear from the first time my cousin taught me about global warming in grade 4 and I remember having nightmares and thinking the world would end. I don’t think I slept for days because I was scared that the world would heat up like a big ball of fire the next day.

I also stored up a basement full of water and food for the end of the world in 2012 (actually, my sister was in the movie “2012” – so at least I knew it wasn’t real!) – We are still eating the rice and the occasional canned good! 🙂

Fast forward to now.

I still get freaked out about the things I can’t control, but now they aren’t consuming my time or pulling me away from my passion the way they used to.

I believe we are all here for a reason, and we all have amazing gifts to share with the world. The problem is when we are letting fear and worry run rampant in our heads, like a kid-on-popping-candy-sugar-high, it will stop us dead in our tracks from accomplishing our purpose.

This is how you tame your inner control freak and deal with fear and worry:

You take a piece of paper. Draw a line down the middle.

On one side you write “All the Things in my Control” and on the other side you write “All the Things Not in my Control” and then you list them.

For myself, this is what was on my list of “What I Control”

• Run/Walk/Fresh Air for an hour a day
• Write for an hour a day
• Call X number of clients a day
• Send LOVE to my family and friends
• LOVE like crazy on my 2 girls
• Put myself out there with my message everyday
• Watch what & how much goes into my mouth
• Design my living space as a place I enjoy so I can love where I write, work & live
• Vote
• Be respectful of others
• Learn
• Save Money
• Create a Financial Plan, Business Plan, Launch Plan, Life Plan, Exercise Plan
• Listen to others!!!!!! (that’s one I’ve gotten way better at over the years – but still a struggle – I like to talk!)

Your list will look different of course – but it will be similar in many ways.

All the things you CAN’T control:

• Politics
• Stock Market
• Economy
• Weather
• How people respond to you
• Outcomes
• Medical Tests
• How people treat you
• Being put on this earth and getting booted off!

The sooner you stop focusing on the things you can’t control and begin to TAKE ACTION on the things you can control, you will immediately feel better – worry and fear will leave you and only come back if you invite them.

Take Action.

What would our world look like if we stopped feeding the “NOISE” in our lives we can’t control an started listening, helping and encouraging others with that time?

Let GO of what you can’t control.

Someone very wise once said “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring it’s own worries.”

He was right.

Nothing I love more than talking to people about money – their beliefs around it, how they go about earning it, what they do with it when they have it and how their beliefs about money completely shape their life. Sometimes though, our money beliefs can negatively impact our lives, so I put together 5 common money misconceptions that I’ve seen over the years.

You probably have thought one of these at one time or another and maybe still hold it as a core belief. No matter where you are at, my hope is that you don’t let these misconceptions hold you back from the financial life you desire for yourself.

Misconception #1 – Money means financial security
Money will never equal financial security. There is no security in life; we know that, however we still like to ‘create’ security in our heads or back up plans. Being prepared as best we can and having a plan for potential likely scenarios that could play out in our lives is important, and part of our basic human needs for safety. Life, fortunately, keeps us from being prepared for everything. This is what makes life an exciting adventure. If we had ‘insurance’ for everything that goes wrong we’d be a world of actuaries, underwriters and claims departments.  I’m glad that’s not the case.

Misconception #2 – More money means less worry
Nope. In most cases it just means you have more to worry about or be obligated to. The trick is to not worry. Period. Worry doesn’t add one second to your life. More money sure doesn’t end worry, it just gives you new things to worry about. Being rich or poor has nothing to do with your worry factor. So stop worrying about money and get a plan in place to either make more money or use what money you are given more wisely.

Misconception #3 – I’ll get out of debt when I make more money
HA – you won’t – you’ll just buy a Rebecca Minkoff or Kate Spade! When I saw Preet Banerjee speak last year (author of ‘Stop Over-thinking Your Money‘ and TV host of Million Dollar Neighbourhood), he mentioned that for most people your expenses increase in step with your income. It’s true! As a planner and financial coach, I see this ALL the time.  More money for most people means more to spend.  The only way you will get out of debt is if you create a plan to get out of debt and then take the actionable steps to do so. (By the way – I think it’s great to spend money. My beliefs lie with one word: balance. Everything in balance. So spend away – just remember to save too!)

Misconception #4 – There is only so much money to go around 
Wealth is unlimited. Everyone can be as rich as they choose to be. Most people believe wealth and financial abundance is only for a small percentage of people. The truth is that money and wealth can be created. It’s not finite. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason is a classic you should read if you haven’t. In that book he talks about how something as simple as building a house creates wealth for all that are involved. It’s a fantastic illustration on how wealth can be created and multiplied (and I’m not talking about the FED printing money out of thin air – that just compounds the situation – good or bad).

Misconception #5 – Stock Market is risky
Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, President of Charles Schwab Foundations says:
“Risk-averse millennials should remember that the stock market is ‘engineered to grow.’ Underlying the sometimes cryptic seeming graphics and streams of numbers that many people associate with the stock market are companies. Like you want your investment and money to grow, the people running those companies you are investing in want to grow too. Need more proof? From its 2007 high through its 2009 low the S&P 500 lost more than half of its value, but people who stuck with it would be up close to 20% from the peak by now.”

So define risk for yourself. Maybe the risk of not reaching your financial goals is greater than the risk of being invested in quality stocks or ETF’s. Everything is risky – even a GIC because it won’t meet your goals. You already know this – there are no guarantees in life. The dooms day stock market mentality has to go at some point (and usually comes and goes along with the economic cycle). GOOD NEWS THOUGH! We need each other (and the products and services we provide) to survive and live a full life – we are all on the same team. Increasing and advancing is built into us humans. SO, no matter where in the economic cycle we are – everything will be okay….. unless of course aliens come down to earth – then you are on your own my friend. 😉